Found this letter in my e-mail today. "We are coming, Mr. President. And we have your back."

I watched Freedom Riders at the Heartland Film Festival a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember the last time I cried with so much cause - so much anger at the injustice, and so much pride in all those of every race, who were so ready to stand up for what was right. A few days ago, I got out of bed, thinking about the ride and its collective strength -- the hundreds, thousands of fingers curled into one righteous fist -- and I wrote down everything I felt about where our country is this week and where it might be next week.

Here it is. Please, if it is anywhere near the piece I wanted to write, feel free to pass it on to anyone with a heart and a voice and a belief that this is not over yet.

Thanks for your time and, more importantly for your courage,A Democrat in Indiana.

-----------

They have lied about him. Lied about our President. Tried to paint him as an outsider. Said he wasn't born here, didn't belong here, not in this system, not in this White House. They have called him a racist, called him a liar, called him a socialist, a Nazi, a terrorist. They have called him everything but Mr. President, our President, our greatest hope for change. They have beaten him with words, with millions of dollars in foreign money, shipped over here by foreign interests with no name, no face, no P.O. Box...no business telling us how to run this nation.

What we have seen over the last two years is an unprecedented attempt to assassinate, not a President, but a Presidency; to take a good man down with lies about who he is and what he's trying to do to fix the things they broke.

There are no guns this time, but this is Birmingham, and Bull Connor doesn't run the police, he runs a news network that says that it's fair, that it's balanced. Our economic future is a lunch counter for the un-Godly rich, for the polluters, for those who do not know the Golden Rule or do not believe it applies to them. And they don't want any of us...not the middle class, not the Just, not the ones who believe that this is still a nation of opportunity, to sit down beside them,to have a slice of the American pie.

We need to let our President know that the buses are coming. And the minivans, the motorcycles, the family sedans and those who can only afford to be on foot. That just like our mothers and fathers who united to change this nation, we are all coming - the black, the white, the latino, the Jewish, the Protestant, the Catholic, the young, the old, the middle class, the poor, the workers, the innovators, the small business owners. All of us. The ones who believe that all Americans should be able to work hard and earn not just a living, but earn a life; who believe that laws should put people before profit; who know that the political Right is political Wrong.

It's time to get up. Every one of us. To stand with our President.

Mr. President, we are coming. We believed in you when we chose you for the most powerful office in the free world, and we believe in you now. Mr. President, the buses are coming, and if they try to stop one there are two more right behind it. And if they try to stop those, there are thousands. Mr. President, you just keep trying to pull the country out of this mess that greed got us in. We've all got your back.

In the next few days, until November 2nd, we will all ring one, bring one. We need to all call one person - a grandmother, a grandfather, a younger brother or sister, somebody down the street and down on their luck who can't afford to buy a new coat, let alone an election - and make sure they have a ride. A vote. And a voice.

Mr. President, we're tired of seeing your best efforts blocked in public by the same set of shifty-eyed schemers who turn around ask for your help and our money when the cameras are off. We're tired of being called un-American by those who do not understand or who do not care to understand, our Bill of Rights.

We're tired of politicians looking into their wallets instead of their hearts. We're tired of the lies and the liars; tired of those who believe that a football game needs 7 officials to keep things honest, but that a multi-trillion dollar banking system needs none. We are tired of hearing that those in need should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when somebody else's boots stomped them down in the first place. We are tired of a lot of things, but we are not too tired to stand up.

My undergraduate Political Science professor used to say, regarding constitutional law, that "your right to swing your fist only extends as far as my nose." That is to say that any American can exercise his or her constitutionally given rights to the point where it interferes with the constitutionally given rights of any other American.

I believe that it is the government's job to regulate that intersection between your rights and mine. If your fist swings into my schnozz, it's the government that throws the penalty flag. Right?

Let's take this into contemporary terms. A banker has the right to lend money. And to bundle those loans into larger packages. And lets say, even to describe them as "A" rated loans. But when that loaning, bundling and rating interferes with my right to have a fully-functioning economic system, it's the government's job to step in.

The Republicans just don't believe that. They believe that ideals about the benefits of allowing bankers to creatively make money in an unregulated, profit-driven free market trump your right to have a viable economic climate.

And it's almost always that simple. Republicans tend to support the Citizen's United decision. That is, they believe that corporations have the right to drive the results of your elections. Your right to have a Democracy "for the people, by the people..." is trumped by Koch Industries' right to spend multiple millions to elect more free market idealists who will protect their profit over your rights.

1. In 2008, we lost an average of 317,250 private sector jobs per month. In 2010, we have gained an average of 95,888 private sector jobs per

2. In FY2009, which began on September 1, 2008 and represents the Bush Administration's final budget, the budget deficit was $1.416 trillion. In FY2010, the first budget of the Obama Administration, the budget deficit was $1.291 trillion, a decline of $125 billion.

3.On Bush's final day in office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 closed at 7,949, 1,440, and 805, respectively. Today, as of 10:15AM Pacific, they are at 11,108, 2,512, and 1,183. That means since President Obama took office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 have increased 40%, 74%, and 47%, respectively

I still remember John Lewis on that damn bridge. I remember the church bombings, the search for missing voter registration workers. Just the act of voting has never changed much, it always takes some pain and sacrifice to achieve any worthwhile goal. From what I've seen of much of this generation I have my doubts. At least I haven't seen a whole bunch that I would want around when the shit hits the fan. But then I see a great awakening happening coming from the poorest and most downtrodden. This is I think why the fascists are the most afraid of immigrants. They haven't been spoon fed the American myth their whole life and know the dirty bowels of the beast. As Frederic Douglas said-(You might not get all you paid for, but you will pay for all you get.

I have a lot of negatives about the Obama Presidency but he is still my President and I voted for him and to see the racial backlash fomented by these low life fascists pains me greatly. I will stand up to these fascists. Its all I know how to do.

We've all been in families of one kind or another - a school, a company, a state, an ethnic group - where we fight amongst ourselves until that moment until some outsider who hates us all tries to step in. Then, the fight is on. It's when we all stop arguing and start swinging.

What I've seen of the previous generations is what hasn't impressed me - Who put us here? Weren't me.

The other side is actually pretty careful to avoid the egregious psychotic episodes that spurred on those previous generations, though. It's hard to light the fire when it's a protester here, a Muslim there, a gay couple somewhere else, at least when you compare it to a fucking cavalry charge on a bunch of black kids, or a string of bombings, or the murder and torching of the people who are trying to help.

There's no shortage of us who don't need to let the other team do the fire-lighting, though. So don't worry yourself about that - you worry about those of your own generation who have forgotten everything and are swinging lipton from their hats now.

Thank you for posting this. It gave me goosebumps. It's easy to feel alone out here in the reddest parts of Texas.

My 10-year-old daughter just came in, upset, said she heard on the radio we live in the 5th most dangerous city in Texas. I tried to tell her it's just a negative political ad. My kids are buying into the crap they hear on the radio and at school.

I am very impressed with your ability to be positive while being blasted by the pablum being spouted by our wonderful candidates here in Indiana. Your tone is encouraging. We should gather all the Indiana underground and have strategy session.

43. Just because Yemen's two greatest exports are explosive devices and Dan Coats' paycheck...

Edited on Mon Nov-01-10 07:31 AM by urgk

....doesn't mean he's not worth voting for.

Seriously, no matter what the outcome of this election, I'm ready to start on 2012. Hoosiers know right from wrong (Holy crap, that's a messaging line) and all we have to do is to explain the difference. I have a friend of a friend who sat her life-long Republican grandmother down and said "Here's the Republican platform...here's your Quaker Faith and Practices...if you can tell me where the two match up, I'll never bother you about it again." She's voted straight Democrat ever since.

Facebook will think for a second, then post a thumbnail and the title "I remember." You can even pick from 4 thumbnail images you want to use as the main one for this video. Then hit the "share" button.

That's it...easy.

You can also do the same with any link. I posted this thread on mine and it gave me a title and a link.

We're tired of politicians looking into their wallets instead of their hearts. We're tired of the lies and the liars; tired of those who believe that a football game needs 7 officials to keep things honest, but that a multi-trillion dollar banking system needs none. We are tired of hearing that those in need should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when somebody else's boots stomped them down in the first place. We are tired of a lot of things, but we are not too tired to stand up.

Why are so many folks misguided then? Why do they believe the lies of the repubs? We all know that for the next 2 years we will have endless investigations, government shut down, lack of funding for the health care reform bill even though parts of it are very popular, and if they have their way impeach Obama. Where are all the Obama voters who still care?

Just to be clear...I absolutely loved what the OP had to say in this thread...but someone had replied saying all kinds of outlandish things...that is what my post was responding to. Just don't want anyone to think I was commenting on the original thread! Loved it.

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion
board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules
page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the
opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent
the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.